Towards Amplified Probing of Weak Intermolecular Interactions on the External Surfaces of Molecular Capsules.

We report a sensitive method for comparing weak interactions between aryl rings located on the external surfaces of equilibrating homo- and heterodimeric capsules. Two identical self-complementary resorcin[4]arene tetrabenzoate molecules and one tetramethylammonium cation form in CDCl hydrogen-bonded homodimeric capsules whose exteriors are decorated with four tight pairs of weakly interacting aryl rings. The pair wise mixing of six different homodimers establishes their equilibria with the corresponding heterodimeric species in which two types of aryl rings exert on each other some gentle forces.

Combinatorial synthesis of chemical building blocks 1. Azomethines.

128 Azomethines were synthesized through condensation of carbonyl compounds with various amines in pyridine in the presence of Me(3)SiCl as promoter and water scavenger in 58-98 % yield. Et(3)N was added to reaction mixtures before precipitating the product with H(2)O to prevent acid catalyzed hydrolysis of the C=N bond. The scope and limitation of the method are discussed.

High throughput synthesis of extended pyrazolo[3,4-d]dihydropyrimidines.

Thirteen 5-hetarylaminopyrazoles were synthesized in 62-93% yield through the arylation of 1-isopropyl- and 1-phenyl-5-aminopyrazoles with electrophilic hetarylhalides under optimized conditions. Condensation of 5-hetarylaminopyrazoles with carbonyl compounds facilitated by AcOH or Me(3)SiCl furnished 23 pyrazolo[3,4-d]dihydropyrimidines in 69-86% yield. The target compounds were isolated through simple crystallization.

Drug- and lead-likeness, target class, and molecular diversity analysis of 7.9 million commercially available organic compounds provided by 29 suppliers.

A database of 7.9 million compounds commercially available from 29 suppliers in 2008-2009 was assembled and analyzed. 5.

Engineering crystals of dendritic molecules.

A detailed single-crystal X-ray study of conformationally flexible sulfonimide-based dendritic molecules with systematically varied molecular architectures was undertaken. Thirteen crystal structures reported in this work include 9 structures of the second-generation dendritic sulfonimides decorated with different aryl groups, 2 compounds bearing branches of both second and first generation, and 2 representatives of the first generation. Analysis of the packing patterns of 9 compounds bearing second-generation branches shows that despite their lack of strong directive functional groups there is a repeatedly reproduced intermolecular interaction mode consisting in an anchor-type packing of complementary second-generation branches of neighbouring molecules.

Antioxidant and antiradical activities of resorcinarene tetranitroxides.

Resorcinarene oxazines bearing four TEMPO fragments at the wide rim of the macrocycle were prepared through the aminomethylation of resorcinarene octols with 4-amino-TEMPO and formaldehyde. Tetra-TEMPO resorcinarenes are efficient scavengers of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals. The model studies revealed that macrocyclic structure and intramolecular hydrogen bonding make considerable contribution to antiradical activity of these compounds.

Interaction energies and dynamics of acid-base pairs isolated in cavitands.

The use of capsules and cavitands in physical organic chemistry is briefly reviewed, and their application to the study of salt bridges is introduced. Carboxylate/ammonium ion pairs are generated within an environment that more or less surrounds the functional groups within a synthetic fixed introverted solvent sphere. This is provided by cavitands that fold around amines and present them with a carboxylic acid function.

Synthesis of quinolines from 3-formylchromone.

A facile and versatile procedure for the synthesis of 3-(2-hydroxybenzoyl)quinolines and 7H-chromeno[3,2-c]quinolin-7-ones was elaborated on the basis of TMSCl-mediated recyclization of 3-formylchromone with various anilines. Limitations and scope of this methodology were established, and a possible mechanism for the heterocyclizations was proposed.

Nanoencapsulation of calix[4]arene inclusion complexes.

A hexameric resorcinarene nanocapsule in wet CDCl3 forms inclusion complexes of calix[4]arene with tetramethylammonium and trimethylsulfoxonium cations to give highly stable Russian-doll-type multicomponent assemblies. The 2D NOESY experiments revealed the size of the assembly, the close proximity of the encapsulated calix[4]arene molecule to the resorcinarene molecules of the capsule, and the inclusion of the tetramethylammonium cation in the calix[4]arene cavity.

Combinatorial Knoevenagel reactions.

Chlorotrimethylsilane (TMSCl) has been utilized as an efficient promoter and water scavenger in the Knoevenagel condensations of aromatic aldehydes with various methylene active compounds. High yields and a simple workup of target compounds enables the facile generation of combinatorial libraries comprising 11,000 compounds of high structural and functional diversity.

A one-step fusion of 1,3-thiazine and pyrimidine cycles.

The chlorotrimethylsilane-promoted Biginelli type reactions of aldehydes, thiourea, and cyanoketones led to a diverse set of tetrahydropyrimidine-2(1H)-thiones. Under similar conditions, thioureas, benzaldehyde, and cyanoacetamide reacted to give first representatives of hexahydro-5H-pyrimido[5,4-e][1,3]thiazin-5-ones in high preparative yield.

One-pot synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-1H-benzimidazoles.

A convenient one-pot method for the synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-1H-benzimidazoles has been elaborated. A set of 2,3-dihydro-1H-benzimidazoles was prepared from various ortho-dialkylaminoanilines and aldehydes using Me3SiCl as a condensation agent and pyridine as a basic medium.

Calix[4]arene alpha-aminophosphonic acids: asymmetric synthesis and enantioselective inhibition of an alkaline phosphatase.

[structure: see text] Chiral calix[4]arene alpha-aminophosphonic acids were obtained through diastereoselective Pudovik-type addition of sodium ethyl phosphites to the chiral calixarene imines, removal of chiral auxiliary groups, and mild dealkylation of phosphonate fragments. The diacids obtained show inhibitory activity toward porcine kidney alkaline phosphatase that depends considerably on the absolute configuration of the alpha-carbon atoms.

Resorcinarene assemblies as synthetic receptors.

The host-guest complexes of resorcinarenes are re-examined in solution through modern spectroscopic methods; the assemblies are characterized by 1H NMR and the guest exchange rates are measured by EXSY NMR spectroscopy.

Enhanced thermodynamic and kinetic stability of calix[4]arene dimers locked in the cone conformation.

Wide rim tetraurea derivatives (2a,b) have been prepared from a calix[4]arene rigidified in the cone conformation by two diethyleneglycol ether bridges between adjacent oxygens. In comparison to the analogous tetraurea derivatives (3a,b) of a tetrapentoxy calix[4]arene, 2a,b show an increased thermodynamic stability in mixtures of CDCl(3) and DMSO-d(6). Their kinetic stability as expressed by the rate of guest exchange (benzene or cyclohexane against the solvent benzene-d(6)) is also strongly increased by factors of 30-38.

Alkoxy-, acyloxy-, and bromomethylation of resorcinarenes.

Reaction of resorcinarene octols with tris-hydroxymethylmethylamine (TRIS), formaldehyde, and alcohols results in tetraalkoxymethylation of the resorcinol rings. Harsh acylation of aminomethylated resorcinarenes with acid anhydrides leads to the complete acylation of eight hydroxyls and substitution of the amino versus acyloxy groups. Acyloxymethylated resorcinarene 6b can be transformed into a tetrabromomethylated derivative 7 through the reaction with HBr in acetic acid.

Selective mono-O-acylation of C2V-symmetrical calix[4]arenediols with acylisocyanates.

Calix[4]arenedialkyl ethers 3 react with an excess of acylisocyanates to give selectively monoacylated products 4. Intramolecular hydrogen bonds and steric effects of the acylcarbamate fragments are most likely responsible for the high selectivity of this monoprotection. [reaction: see text]

Sterically and guest-controlled self-assembly of calix[4]arene derivatives.

In solvents such as chloroform or benzene, tetraurea calix[4]arenes 1 form dimeric capsules in which one solvent molecule is usually included as guest. To explore the structural requirements for the formation of such hydrogen-bonded dimers we replaced one p-tolylurea residue by a simple acetamide function. The resulting calix[4]arene 2 a, substituted at its wide rim with one acetamide and three p-tolylurea functions, assumes a C(1)-symmetrical conformation in apolar solvents as shown by (1)H NMR, which is not compatible with the usual capsule.

Kinetics and thermodynamics of hexameric capsule formation.

Resorcinarene 1b forms a hexameric assembly in water-saturated CDCl(3) that encapsulates one tetraalkylammonium salt (2(+)Br(-)). The remaining space is occupied by coencapsulated solvent molecules. A maximum of three and minimum of one CHCl(3) molecule were found inside of capsules with tetrapropyl- and tetraheptylammonium bromide, respectively.

Stereochemistry in self-assembled encapsulation complexes: constellational isomerism.

A previously uncharacterized form of stereochemistry, constellational isomerism, is described. The isomerism arises from different arrangements of small-molecule guests in the space of a self-assembled, cylindrical host. The cylindrical host detains three molecules each of CHCl(3), 1,2-dichloroethane, or isopropyl chloride.

Spin labeling monitors weak host-guest interactions.

A resorcinarene bearing four TEMPO units recognizes small molecules in solutions.

Individual solvent/solute interactions through social isomerism.

Reversible coencapsulation of a solute molecule and a single solvent molecule takes place in solution at ambient temperature. Two isomeric complexes are formed (social isomers), and their relative energies are assessed by NMR methods. Intermolecular interactions between 3 aromatic solutes and 15 common solvents are evaluated.

Solvent-stabilized molecular capsules.

Pyrrogallolarenes 2 were prepared by acid-catalyzed condensation of pyrrogallol with aldehydes. Compound 2a crystallizes from a methanol solution of quinuclidine hydrochloride to give a dimeric molecular capsule surrounding one disordered quinuclidinium cation. The molecules of 2a are connected by direct hydrogen bonds and by bridging methanol and water molecules.

Coencapsulation of large and small hydrocarbons.

Combinations of small, gaseous hydrocarbons and sizable aromatics, e.g. methane and anthracene, are directly observed in a cylindrical capsule by NMR.

A low molecular weight mimic of the Toll/IL-1 receptor/resistance domain inhibits IL-1 receptor-mediated responses.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and the type I IL-1 receptor (IL-1RI) are key components of the innate immune system activated by microbial infections and inflammation. The signaling cascade from agonist-occupied TLRs and IL-1Rs involves recruitment of the small cytosolic adapter protein MyD88 that binds to IL-1RI via homotypic interactions mediated by Toll/IL-1R/resistance (TIR) domains. Dominant negative forms and null mutations of MyD88 have recently been shown to preclude bacterial product or IL-1-mediated activation of NF-kappaB pathways, demonstrating that MyD88 is an essential component of the Toll receptor signaling.